Community Kitchen Christmas Potluck 2017

The community kitchen had a Christmas Potluck on the 2nd day of winter at the Caring Place Community Kitchen.

We had mostly homemade food with some store bought ones. Twenty over participants attended this event.

I made Palm Sugar Jello (Agar-agar Gula Melaka). You can find the recipe here.

Lorna made a salad.

Here are the rest of the food; marinated eggs, tofu and seaweed. (more…)

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Old Fashioned Coffee Cake

The South Arm Community Kitchen made an Old Fashioned Coffee Cake for dessert for the last kitchen of 2017.

This is a basic coffee cake where the sweetness comes from maple syrup.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups flour (unbleached white or you can use 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour)
  • 1/2 pound butter
  • 1 cup maple syrup
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping

  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 maple syrup

Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

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Potato Crusted Quiche

For the last kitchen at the South Arm Community Kitchen for 2017, we made another three dishes.

Our main dish is a Potato Crusted Quiche. This recipe is inspired by Foodnetwork.com.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound russet potato, thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
  • 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup bacon bits
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

We served the Potato Crusted Quiche with Cream of Celery Soup.

You can find the soup recipe here. This Cream of Celery Soup is great as people who are not a fan of celery also enjoy it.

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Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

For dessert, Minoo shared an Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies recipe in the South Arm Community Kitchen.

These healthy Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies are great for snack. You can pack them in your kid’s lunch bag or enjoy them with coffee or tea.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup large flake oats
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped if they are big pieces
  • 1/4 cup white chocolate chips

Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

Minoo also shared some tips on packing healthy school lunches at the kitchen.

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Tuna Loaf with Potatoes

The South Arm Community Kitchen met again for another cooking adventure.

For this kitchen, we made a Tuna Loaf with Potatoes.

We served the Tuna Loaf with Potatoes with a Cranberry Almond Spinach Salad. You can click here for the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups mash potatoes
  • a teaspoon Paprika
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan
  • 1/2 cup drained tuna
  • a small bunch of Parsley, chopped
  • a handful of sliced black olives
  • breadcrumbs for coating

Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

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Apple Pumpkin Bread

The South Arm Community Kitchen made a quick bread with fall theme ingredients.

This Apple Pumpkin Bread is moist with a little crunch from the walnuts.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup olive oil, extra virgin or any other vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 1 baking sweet apple (should yield 1 cup grated apple)
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Source: this recipe is adapted from Giulia Melucci

Makes 1 loaf, 6 to 8 servings

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One Skillet Ground Beef Straganoff

I am back at the South Arm Community Kitchen after missing one of the kitchen due to personal commitment.

In this kitchen, Minoo shared another three recipes. The main course is a One Skillet Ground Beef Stroganoff.

We served the beef strognaoff with a side dish of Crunchy Bok Choy Slaw. I had blogged about it here.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. white button mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry (we used red wine)
  • 4 cups low sodium beef broth
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 cups dry egg noodles
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, optional

Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

Serves 6

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Quinoa Pilaf

In the South Arm Community Kitchen, we served the Chicken with Tomato Sauce with a side dish of Quinoa Pilaf.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed a few times
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup chopped walnut
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Source: this recipe is adapted from allrecipes

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Chicken with Tomato Sauce

For the main course, the South Arm Community Kitchen made a chicken dish with tomato sauce.

Ingredients

  • 12 pieces chicken thighs or legs, skin removed
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper (and/or red peppers)
  • 2 cups chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped Parsley
  • 4 cups canned tomato sauce
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder, optional
  • 1 cup currants

Chicken Spice Mix

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 cup flour

Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

Serves: 12

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Marvelous Minestrone

Minoo shared three recipes in the South Arm Community Kitchen as usual.

The first recipe is a soup recipe. This Marvelous Minestrone is great with some toasted bread as a light meal. This soup also freezes well for a quick meal any day of week. Freeze extra in small freezer bags in single portion size.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 red pepper, removed seeds and diced
  • 1 green pepper, removed seeds and diced
  • 1x19oz (540ml) can of diced tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried sage or 1 teaspoon fresh sage (can be substituted with oregano)
  • 2 small zucchini, diced
  • 1x14oz (398ml) can kidney beans (or pinto or navy beans), rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup small pasta (like macaroni)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Source: Food Skills for Families; Active Seniors

This recipe uses Italian seasonings as it’s an Italian soup. But do not limit yourself as you can make a curry version with cumin, turmeric or curry powder.

You can also add other vegetables like celery or cabbage.

Adding legumes to the soup as an inexpensive source of protein .

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